Sunil Gavaskar calls for change in uncapped player rule amid IPL 2025

Legendary Sunil Gavaskar has urged the IPL governing council and the BCCI to change the uncapped player rule in the next season of the IPL. Gavaskar reckons to accommodate MS Dhoni, the BCCI decided to increase uncapped player salary to INR 4 crore.

After the rule was put in place, Chennai Super Kings veteran MS Dhoni was retained as an uncapped player by the franchise ahead of the IPL 2025. However, Gavaskar reckons this rule has put extra pressure on other uncapped players, who are retained for a high price and when they don’t perform as per the expectations, the pressure increases on them.

“A whole lot of the players bought for huge amounts simply fade away as their hunger and drive are satiated. To the franchises, it perhaps doesn’t matter as they may feel it’s good riddance, but Indian cricket takes a bit of a beating at the loss of any player whether he has been successful or not. To accommodate Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who became an uncapped player before the auction last year, the limit was raised to Rs 4 crore,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for Sportstar.

The former Indian captain said it is tough to recall an uncapped player, who performed consistently after getting retained for a huge price.

“In all these years, it is hard to recall an uncapped player bought for huge numbers who has justified his inclusion in the team. Maybe over the next couple of years, he may get a bit better with experience, but if he is playing in the same local league, then that chance of improvement doesn’t get much better.”

“What does happen is that if in the next auction his price comes down, then the pressure of expectations also comes down and the player plays a lot better,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, MS Dhoni hasn’t been able to lead from the front in the ongoing season as he has managed only 163 runs in 11 matches at an average of 23.29 and a strike rate of 148.18.

Chennai Super Kings will next take on Kolkata Knight Riders at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Wednesday.